You can call it a “fee” if you like but it is just another “tax” being forced upon all for the benefit of a few.

I am a park user and love our state parks. California has some of the most beautiful and interesting parks in the nation. The parks are used by many – try to get a reservation and you will see what I mean. There is also a $1.2 billion dollar backlog of maintenance for roads, decaying campgrounds and museums. The current number of rangers, workers and staff members is nearly identical to the number we had 20 years ago despite the obvious increase in visitors. We do need money for our parks.

But it is inherently wrong to tax all Californians for the benefit of a few. The proposal provides for free admission to all state parks by California residents. Do you think there would be a great increase of people using the parks? I don’t – not a great enough increase to rationalize a new tax for the good of all. Of course, most if not all, of the “green”, “save”, “friends”, “travel”, and “environmental” groups or trusts or bureaus and clubs support the measure. The common theme among them all is the blinder’s on, tunnel vision view that my cause is the best and it is worthy of  taking money from all for the pleasure of some.

Most definitely we need to fund the state parks but not with unfair taxes on our citizens. Raise user fees, charge more for out-of-state visitors, deputize camp hosts so rangers can be used else where. Put teenagers to work in the kiosks and cleaning efforts. Allow vendors to set up small shops at the parks with ice, wood, bug spray, etc. and charge the vendor a modest fee. Note: local vendor not some big corporation, teenagers enrolled in a local school with passing grades not some union effort.

Camping reservations will resume after it is determined how best to operate with a $14 million cut. It will mean a reduction in services. It is possible that some parks and some campgrounds could be closed certain days of the week when there are fewer visitors. The seasonal schedule could change or the number of campsites might be reduced.

The following currently applies to camping parks not shown on the list.

• Existing reservations will be honored.
• New reservations are not being made for any time period.
• Unlisted parks – those that are normally open for camping this time of year – will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. To learn which are normally open this time of year, see the Camping Reservation Guide at 2009 Camping Reservation Guide (pdf).

Camping Reservations Open Now Through April 2010 at the following:

(http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=737)

National Park Service Regional Director Jonathan Jarvis warned in a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that all six occupy former federal land that could revert to the U.S. government if the state fails to keep the parks open.

“Lands conveyed to the State under the Federal Lands to Parks Program must be open for public park and recreation use in perpetuity as a condition of the deed,” Jarvis warned in a June 8 letter to Schwarzenegger made public Wednesday.

The state could also lose future parks funding, Jarvis warned. California has received $286 million from the federal government since 1965 benefiting 67 parks on Schwarzenegger’s closure list, Jarvis said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31693419

The sites are

• Angel Island
• The top of Mount Diablo
• Point Sur State Historic Park
• Fort Ord Dunes (beach)
• Point Mugu State Park (beach)
• Border Fields (beach)

Schwarzenegger has proposed closing 220 state parks to save $143 million. It is our position that maintaining and later re-opening closed parks would be much more expensive than closing them.

I would suspect we will see some if not all the 220 parks closed. The budget deficit is sufficient to basically close down the state. Unfortunately, more that 50% of the state budget comes from income tax with almost 40% coming from less than 2% of the tax payers. That is not a good position for the state as far as revenues are concerned.

We certainly don’t want the Feds to take back the parks they turned over to us. I don’t think we would easily get them back. But even that is better than one situation suggested selling off park properties to private companies.

California State Parks has said the changes necessitated by the budget decrease will not be put into effect until September 1, 2009.

The list of closures is not public at this time but more that likely will include the parks and beaches previously marked for closure plus more.